


A Duck's Intuition

by goldendoodle (orphan_account)



Category: Princess Tutu
Genre: Alternate Universe, Bisexuality, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Fantasy, More Magic, Multi, everyone is not straight, more tags added later idk, rating might change but probably not idk, sort of a retelling but an au idk
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-03
Updated: 2017-07-08
Packaged: 2018-11-22 18:20:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 15,801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11385771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/goldendoodle
Summary: Ahiru always seemed to care too much for her own good.





	1. Chapter 1

A young girl slept soundly in her bed within the castle.

Her lips quivered in her dream-filled sleep, long red hair billowing around her. The amount of blankets, pillows, and stuffed animals she was buried in as well as her thick locks made her bed appear so fluffy, comfortable, and relaxed.

Sunlight drifted in through her open window. Cool fresh air gently swept into the room, causing the girl to sigh comfortably in her sleep. Birds began to twitter from outside. As the inhabitants of the castle began to rise and go about their days, muffled voices rose from the courtyard below.

Besides the blankets on the bed, the resident seemed to have them littered about the room as well. There were much-used hot spots around the room where she liked to spend her time wrapped up in or lazing upon a pile of thick blankets and pillows. It was rather messy, actually. But she supposed it could be a comfy sort of untidy, not the unclean version.

It wasn’t a big room, and was much longer than it was wide. There was another room with the exact layout mirrored on either side of each wall. The rooms on this floor continued this pattern for a while, as well as the rooms lining the ground floor of this wing of the castle.

Speaking of the floor below, unbeknownst to her, two girls about her age had just began their trek upstairs. Sound asleep, however, the red-head was enabled to doze peacefully for the next few minutes. She dreamed of the birds she liked to feed every day gently picking her up and taking her away, allowing her to fly in the sky like she always wanted to as a child despite her horrible fear of heights. Then she would turn into a bird too, except she was much bigger and her feathers were all white and she could even swim if she wanted to too. It was a nice dream.

Until one of those girls finally arrived, that is. Said girl had a dreamy face and long blond pigtails. She also seemed to have decided to not wake her friend gently after barging in—say, shaking her awake perhaps?—instead opting for another option: flopping her butt down on top of her.

Ahiru woke with a squawk. She may be a morning person, but waking to the sensation of the wind being knocked out of oneself is a horrible start to anyone’s day. She couldn’t do much other than panic. Unable to get her sleepy eyes focused enough to see the heavy weight crushing her stomach, all she could do was wince in pain and yelp and writhe beneath it in her desperate need for escape and oxygen.

“Oh, _Ahir_ u! How can you still be asleep!?” The voice coming from above her (no, she wasn’t hearing the voice of God or her dead parents calling her to join them in the light or something—least not yet anyway) sounded like her friend Lillie. This would have calmed Ahiru’s nerves, knowing that it was only her childhood friend and not an axe murderer suffocating her in her sleep, but honestly, Lillie wasn’t much of an improvement. How the blond had somehow entered Ahiru’s dormitory quiet enough to not wake her, she didn’t know. She guessed she just had been saving that pleasure for when she flopped down to sit on top of Ahiru’s sleeping form.

After a few more moments of sputtering and struggling, Ahiru felt the weight on her stomach lift a bit (she took the opportunity to heave in a breath, relieved to finally give her lungs some air) as Lillie dramatically reached her arms around the girl, enwrapping her upper body in a tight hug. “Late! _Today_ , of all days—how tragic! Your dreams of meeting the prince, _ruined!”_ she mourned, erupting into a fit of melodramatic fake tears, squeezing her. _Hard._

Ahiru groaned into Lillie’s neck. Oh boy. Usually Ahiru didn’t think violence was ever the answer, but maybe, _sometimes,_ there could be a few exceptions. But only in emergencies.

 _As soon as she lets go,_ she thought, _Boy I oughta...!_

“Oh, Lillie!” Both girls on the bed whipped around to face the newcomer. Ahiru’s other friend and adoptive sister, Pique, had just arrived. She was panting. This was common—there were many occasions in which Lillie had sprinted up to Ahiru’s room and the calmer of the duo was left to chase after her and her damned head start. Huffing and puffing, Pique grabbed Lillie about the waist and pried her off of the poor girl. Ahiru sat up, whimpering and rubbing her shoulders now that they were free of Lillie’s clutches.

“Jeez!” Pique tutted, dropping Lillie onto her butt on the floor beside the freckled girl’s bed.

“Oh no, look!” Lillie pointed out Ahiru’s discomfort. “The bad day is already taking its toll on her!”

“It’s your fault.” Pique muttered pointedly.

“No way!”

“Sorry about that…” Pique turned to Ahiru as she said this, sheepish. “I mentioned I was surprised you didn’t come down to say good morning yet and she just took off.” She smiled and scratched the back of her head. “But you are going to be late at this rate, so you’d best get up!” Her usual pep had returned. Leaning in to her, Pique bent over and rested her palms on the bed, giving Ahiru a better view of her beaming face. “It’s a big day!”

“Whuh...?” Ahiru murmured, having been unable to make a sound until now besides panicked protestations at the, mind you, _incredibly_ unwelcome wake up call. “What’s today? Isn’t it Saturday… We have weekends off…” As fear left her, tiredness returned. She yawned and rubbed at her eyes to clear her fatigued vision.

“Oh!!! The fool!” Lillie cried, clutching her chest (or her heart—but Ahiru wasn’t sure she had one). “She has even forgotten! How _cute!_ After all her mistakes, another! She is so lucky for us to be here to support and comfort her, to support her so tragically unlucky mistakes and mis—”

“Hush, you!” Pique glared at Lille before returning her attention to Ahiru. “Today is the prince’s feast! Kinkan Academy even gets to go this time, remember? You’ve got to go get ready.”

Ahiru blinked. Then her blue eyes widened. Oh! How could she have forgotten? Although the dance academy’s small number of students did take up residence inside of Kinkan Castle, they rarely ever saw royalty. Nobles and knights, yes, but never the _important_ ones unless there was some sort of special event where just about any common member of society could see them. This was due to Ahiru and her classmates residing solely in the west wing, while Prince Mytho’s quarters, dining halls, and parties were often held within the center of the castle or the eastern third of the palace. These places were strictly off limits to the students, because, why would they have any reason to wander the castle (besides being up to no good)? It just wasn’t allowed. And they were rarely ever invited. The only reason their studies took place within the castle was because the royal family had always been fond of the art of dance, and so took it upon themselves to found a school centered around it. This especially helped with performances, so the classes didn’t have to travel far to dance for nobility as they would simply use the performing art centers in that very castle. But being only sixteen, Ahiru and the others had years before they would have learned enough of the art to do something as big as that. Of course, Ahiru hadn’t always lived in the castle—her childhood and preteen years were spent with Pique in her family’s tailor, helping around the shop as she got a general education somewhere near the city center, but still just outside the castle. It wasn’t until they both turned fifteen that they began to enroll here.

But today… Today! The prince _did_ invite them! His mother and father had never done such a thing. Ahiru had no idea if any of the royals before them did anything with the academy either, besides (mostly) funding it, and regularly announcing them at kingdom-wide celebrations as their “pride and joy”. This made it all the more exciting and special! She had a chance to dine near, and perhaps even speak to, Kinkan’s beloved Prince Mytho. She giggled, and squeezed herself at the thought of it.

Lillie had gone back to expressing her doom and gloom (although Ahiru was much accustomed to tuning this out), while Pique had crossed the room to Ahiru’s vanity to grab her hair brush. It had seen a lot of love, due to her large (and growing) amount of hair. Pique sat on the bed beside her sister, gently and firmly pushing one of her shoulders to gain access to her back so she could begin combing the girl’s unruly locks.

“Jeez, jeez, _jeez...!_  What am I going to do with you two? Ahiru, hold this.” Pique muttered as she separated Ahiru’s ginger hair into three even sections.

“O—oh!” Ahiru said, snapping out of it as she realized Pique was attempting to help speed up the process of her getting ready. “Thank you!” Ahiru chewed her lip as she reached above her head to take and hold that portion of her hair while Pique combed the rest. She was always so amazed at how fast Pique could manage to braid her locks. Ahiru couldn’t even tame her _own_ hair that fast!

As expected, Pique finished in record time, begrudgingly swatting at that one cowlick Ahiru would always have near her the top of her head. That thing could never ever be held down unless it were, perhaps, chopped off. Which was out of the question. Clearly. “Okay, now go wash your face and brush your teeth—I’ll grab you some breakfast so you can eat while we walk. Mr. Katz probably won’t want to wait for you. Or he’ll use that as an opportunity to propose, or both, so.”

Ahiru nodded as Pique stood and began tugging Lillie out of the room. She beamed and waved at her sister before she left. “Meet you downstairs!”

Ahiru smiled back, raising her hand in a meek farewell. “See you downstairs…” She trailed off as their footsteps retreated and sighed, rubbing at a sore spot on her back that unfortunately still remained after Lillie’s attack. She had all but forgot the dream she was having prior to her rude awakening. That thought made her frown, and she grumpily rose from her bed and crossed to her vanity and the small saucer of magically-maintained hot water she had restocked the night before. Stupid Lillie. She loved her to death, but Jesus friggin’ Christ, she might even have left her with a _bruise_ after that experience!

After splashing her face, Ahiru looked into her mirror and sighed. Her hair looked just as messy as always, so matter how tight and perfect Pique might try to tie it back. And even though her mother’s pendant Ahiru inherited was resting it its usual place on her chest, its beauty couldn’t take away from what Ahiru saw as permanent imperfections, such as her entire face. She wasn’t looking forward to being so _not_ presentable today, but it wasn’t like she could help it. Her hair was always like this, she couldn’t just make her millions of freckles go away, and Mr. Katz required them to wear their uniforms to a royal celebration despite it being— _hello?_ A _royal_ _celebration_!? Like, she understood, that yeah, it made more sense, and would be more safe, they would be kept track of, and it would also inspire the students to behave because they _are_ representing their school and all—but! But. She would have rather dressed up (like all the other guests will no doubt do) so as to not stand out, as well as to have fun. Like, that’s what you’re supposed to do! Especially if she were to meet the prince…

She blushed.

She would want to look her best.

Look her best for… the prince. She would meet the prince today. Excitement buzzed within her as she watched her reflection’s face slowly brighten with the realization. She grinned at herself. She and her friends—her regular, human, private art school friends, were going to meet the _prince!_

This sped her up significantly, practically bouncing with happiness as she brushed her teeth in a rush. She threw on her uniform, coughed as she accidentally spritzed perfume in her face, checked her appearance in the mirror one last time, and then skipped out of her room and down the hall, having to go back (and almost forgetting completely) to lock her door.

…

There were four dorms on her floor for students while the majority of rooms on that level were made use of as classrooms and offices for her teachers. Meanwhile, down a short flight of a twisting staircase was the ground floor of the west wing, home to the majority of the students’ bedrooms as well as their mess hall and larger dance practice rooms. Her fellow students were waiting in a line outside, some chattering while others were still finishing up this morning’s breakfast as they waited. Their teacher, Mr. Katz, stood at the head of the line, leaning against the wall, tail twitching back and forth. He stood up straighter as he saw Ahiru approaching.

“Ah! Ahiru! There we are. That’s all of us. One minute later and we may have just left without you!” He clapped to get his other students’ attention, as Ahiru pouted (although she was glad he didn’t mention marriage as punishment for once) and slipped into line between Lillie and Pique. “Alright, children! Now, remember to be extremely courteous while in the castle today! Although this may be one of the few field trips in which we will not be performing, we _are_ going to _watch_ a performance, and so I hope that you all pay close attention and take it as an educational experience for you.” Pique handed Ahiru a large poppy seed muffin and an apple as Mr. Katz continued. “Remember to have fun, but to also be very polite. It’s not every day we are invited to an event by the prince, you know! And I hope you all remembered to pass on to me your gifts and thank-you cards I suggested. The prince wanted to thank you all for them during the dinner today.”

Ahiru smiled, thinking of the gift she made for him—Mr. Katz told them to keep the gifts small but thoughtful, as they were a means of thanking Mytho for inviting them today. She did follow those rules, sort of, but she put an _incredible_ amount of time into the small embroideries she made for him. Back in the present however, Mr. Katz turned, beginning to lead them down the hallway. “Let’s leave a good impression and prove to Prince Mytho that we are living up to his late mother’s expectations, and still thriving even after the days of Princess Tutu!”

Princess Tutu, huh. Ahiru subconsciously reached for her pendant, running the smooth crimson gem over her fingertips.

Ahiru didn’t react outwardly at the mention of her mother’s stage name. She already was aware of her legacy of keeping the academy afloat through her beloved performances for the king and queen and general public, and so only took a bite of her muffin as she walked along. She had gotten used to mentions of her mother for a while now, as no one really knew or gave much thought to the fact that her daughter was recently enrolled at the same school. Of course, Mr. Katz and Pique knew, but for some reason, the connection just wasn’t a big deal, or they just didn’t show it. Maybe it was because Ahiru’s mother had passed away without even getting a chance to raise her before Pique’s parents stepped in? Still, she always felt more than a bit of pride when she would hear teachers or classmates praise her, despite never having met her. She wished she could have lived long enough to see her daughter there in the audience, watching and supporting her as she performed.

As the morning sunlight overwhelmed her eyes, so different from the darker, cold walls of the castle, Ahiru began to gulp down her muffin a bit faster. She wished she could have had a drink to wash it down with, but maybe the apple would help. She polished it on her skirt a little bit.

They were crossing the courtyard toward the grand, main entrance, and although they had been in this area many times every single day during their enrollment here, the students were chattering wildly and looking around at the rich and famous passing by, no doubt present for the day’s festivities. Pique whispered to Ahiru and Lillie as Mr. Katz’s entourage passed a ridiculously colorful and smug-looking man donned with jewels and feathers sitting atop his similarly garnished white mare. He was speaking to a beautiful elven maiden swathed in a silky gown of various shades of green, sided by her two personal knights. “I bet Lillie will try and court a man like that when she graduates!” Pique said. Ahiru giggled as she watched the giant purple feather on his hat fall over and obscure his face, reaching all the way down to his navel. He inhaled it and choked. He went into a fit of coughing as the elven royal laughed at his expense, fanning herself with something that looked to be made of peacock feathers.

Lillie gasped at Pique’s tease, replying with what Ahiru was _sure_ was an incredibly over-dramatized retort, and _surely_ would have been _very_ interesting, but she didn’t quite hear it. She wasn’t just ignoring her, though. She was too busy watching one of two knights standing guard outside of the main entrance. She didn’t notice him until they had approached, and after that she couldn’t stop staring. There seemed to be a strange energy coming off him in waves. He looked like any other knight, helmet off due to the heat of the day, with the same armor and all—but his face looked… different.

He seemed human (there was a variety of living beings who became knights at Kinkan), was rather young, had brown skin, and dark hair that he swiped out of his eyes as he waved students through one at a time. Ahiru fiddled with the apple in her hands as she wondered about him. They were doing minor security checks, splitting the students into two lines so that his partner on the other side of the door was doing the same to save time. However, there was something off in his expression—or, his eyes, to be exact. They were an emerald green, and boy, they were _intense_. His eyes gave away how incredibly nervous and stressed he was. But at the same time, he seemed so angry and intimidating, simply in the face. She figured that might just be his resting face, however, as the emotions she could sense from him were much more sensitive than defensive. No, he really was upset. The strength of his gaze made her anxious as he hastily swiped it over the students as they went. Nobody else seemed to notice his panic—Pique and Lillie even giggling and murmuring to Ahiru about how he seemed rather attractive—as they were too excited about the day’s outing to notice, she supposed. Ahiru stared blankly at him, her lips parted slightly, wondering what in the world could be so wrong and if it had to do with the security checks he was doing today or just something personal on his mind she had no business in. Could she help in some way? She worried and wondered, not even realizing that the knight on the other side—her side—had said something to her, and that it was her turn to be given the once-over.

This knight was older, with kind eyes, and his armor had black stains and marks from some sort of fire damage. He gently rested his hand on her shoulder before she could walk past him and right through the door despite his requests. She jumped a bit, tearing her gaze from the other knight, growing red in the face as she became more aware of the fact that she must have just made some mistake. Like usual. Having missed what he said before, she sputtered, “Um, what? S-sorry?”

“Young lady, I simply asked what was in your hands.” The man smiled, amused, but not in a mocking way. Ahiru appreciated that, and his voice had a sort of calming effect on her for some reason, but she still couldn’t help but be embarrassed. She glanced down, blushing. “What? O-oh…” She had been holding the apple close to her, hiding what it was with her fingers. She lifted it so he could see. “It’s just an apple, see? I forgot to—I mean, I overslept like an idiot like usual and—well, um—since I slept in super late and didn’t have any time because I slept in I… didn’t get a chance for breakfast… So—I—I… Hahaha…” She laughed awkwardly as he nodded.

“That’s alright, but may I see it for a moment? I am very sorry, I wish I didn’t have to do this, but it is the rule with guests bringing food into the castle. In order to—to be sure it truly is what they say it is...”

“O-okay!” Ahiru quickly passed him the apple. He took it from her and smiled apologetically as he unsheathed a small dagger from his forearm and sliced a thin piece off, allowing it to fall onto the ground. He tutted. After this, he handed it back to her, careful only to touch the fruit where it still had red skin.

“Charon, what’s the matter?” The other, more youthful knight had spoken up, eyeing Ahiru suspiciously, unable to see what was in her hands around the people in his line. He had his hand hovering above his hip—above his _sword_ , Ahiru realized, mortified—and she was reminded of the panicked dread she had sensed from him earlier. Except now, she felt all the fear and alertness was focused on her. Her pulse quickened.

“Oh, it’s nothing, Fakir. Don’t worry about it.” The old man called to him, then turned back to Ahiru and smiled. “Alright, you can go now. Sorry about that.”

She suddenly felt more relaxed, trusting in the older man’s words.

“It-it’s fine!” She stuttered, smiling gratefully at him. “Thank you! It’s important to be safe with these events, so I understand!” She waved to the knight—Charon, apparently—as she passed through the doors, blushing more at the thought of the younger, more troubled knight thinking she was some kind of threat when she was barely five and a half feet tall.

There have been instances where attackers and terrorists have brought into Kinkan castle and that of neighboring kingdoms small magical explosives disguised as food or other innocent-looking objects, as well as simply casting an explosive rune into real food and taking it with them into places full of nobility. However, the explosives will not be detonated by simply cutting off the outer disguise and exposing it, and breaking an item with even invisible runes into more than one piece neutralizes its effects, so she didn’t hold it against him for checking. It was just embarrassing the other guy acted like he was about ready to draw his sword on her, that’s all. She couldn’t quite explain why it made her so scared, though, as she was never in any real danger.

It wasn’t long until Ahiru and her classmates made their way past the grand entrance and through two gigantic, intricately carved doors into a lovely theatre hall with plenty of other rich and royal-looking foreigners. Everyone in the room kept their volume to a polite minimum, chattering with friends while also wishing to pay respects to the performers they awaited to see. The seats were soft (and _bouncy_ ), but the springs didn’t creak one bit. The curtain on stage was drawn shut and a glorious shade of crimson red, slightly darker than the color of the seats. The walls were a rich dark wood, polished to shining, with curtains draped haphazardly over them at different intervals until a few rows in front of the stage. Ahiru wondered if there really was just a wall behind those curtains in some spots—sometimes she swore she saw them sway as though air had blown from behind them to shift the lush red fabrics inwards, toward the audience. Perhaps they were hidden entrances to backstage.

Prince Mytho had included, for their excursion today, the opportunity to watch the performance of a traveling acting trope sing and dance out a classic fairy tale story for the morning, and then later to explore the palace gardens and eat a small, picnic lunch before attending a feast and short ball at the end of the night. She squinted at the balcony seats, looking for Prince Mytho’s familiar face. He _must_ be attending this show too! Sadly, she only found a few small groups of particularly rich-looking people, as well as a young, dark haired noble woman sitting in a balcony alone (besides two knights standing guard at the back of the small room, but they didn’t count). She sighed, Pique and Lillie taking note of her disappointment.

“Oh, were you looking for Prince Mytho? I couldn’t find him either…” Pique said conversationally, while Lillie tossed a hand over her forehead dramatically.

“Oh, but what has come of the prince, and where could he be!? Perhaps something bad has happened to Ahiru’s poor impossibly true love—“ Pique cut her off, smacking the blond’s shoulder a little bit. “No, look!” She pointed to one of the balconies. “There he is!”

Ahiru turned back, seeing Mytho enter beside who she _thought_ was the stressed, green-eyed knight earlier (his name was like Frankfurt or something, she didn’t remember) but her attention was shifted back to the prince before she could be sure. She was busy observing him take a seat next to and kiss the hand of the dark-haired woman she had believed to be sitting alone prior to their arrival. She smiled and nodded at him, and they began to talk.

All three of the student’s jaws dropped before they exploded into fits of giggles (Pique) and loud, panicked whispering (mostly Lillie, but also Ahiru) at the sight of what appeared to be Mytho courting some unknown woman. They all shut up very quickly at Mr. Katz’s over-the-shoulder hiss from his seat in the row in front of them, and shrank almost to nonexistence when he turned back around with his arms crossed, tapping his foot impatiently, disappointment and anger coming off of him in waves.

They were silent until the show began, and while the curtains opened, Ahiru’s eyes slowly and sadly drifted back up to Mytho and the girl. She hadn’t paid any attention to the woman when she first saw her, but now that she knew she was there with Mytho… She was very pretty, and he seemed to be incredibly interested in her, and enjoying his time with her. They kept making each other laugh, and Ahiru noticed the mature and graceful beauty in the woman’s smile. She was the type of person who seemed naturally deserving of respect. Her dark hair and mature, wry appearance complimented his white hair, soft, airy smile and hazel eyes. From watching, Ahiru could tell they shared the same witty sense of humor, and mutual fondness for one another.

And they looked good together.

Ahiru felt like a balloon being deflated.

A man in center stage began a little speech announcing the show and actors. Ahiru was surprised when Pique used his loud voice as an opportunity to squeeze her hand and whisper her condolences quiet enough that Mr. Katz couldn’t hear her. “Sorry, dude… I know you’ve always had a little crush on him.” Ahiru frowned at Pique’s words, looking up again at the couple in the balcony. There was a pause a for a moment while the two followed the announcer’s cues to applaud before she replied. “It’s okay. I always knew it was unrealistic.” She squeezed her hand back, and then let go, returning her eyes to the stage, but not her focus.

No, she had never met Mytho before, but watching his announcements at events and hearing of his deeds had always excited and stirred up immense respect for him within her. She was aware it was more of an idolization than real _love_ , but she still would have liked to… maybe… one day…

She sighed, and squashed the thought with the urgency like that if it were a lit cigar that had been misplaced in a dry field on the hottest day of the summer. They were just daydreams, nothing more, and she had always known that. But…it was still disappointing to see.

However, he did seem to be enjoying himself, and as she thought this she brightened. She just had to be happy for him. She was glad he had finally found someone. It was everyone’s goal to see the prince happy, and as his parents had mostly stepped down in their old age, it was nearing time for Mytho to find a wife and carry on with the family name. Ahiru would rather him to be with a woman that made him happy than to be with one he only married for political reasons, or whatever might happen when you’re a prince—even if that woman wasn’t Ahiru herself.

Reassured with this, Ahiru did her best to enjoy the play, laughing and clapping at certain lines, _ooh_ -ing and _ahh_ -ing at the illusion magic-made special effects and costume changes. After the show, everyone in the theatre gave an emphatic standing ovation, including the prince, to the surprise of his date. And after an affectionate chuckle, she rose and joined in too, even giving the performers a whistle at their job well done.

After the guests exited the theatre, Mr. Katz led his students into the palace gardens. They were promptly met by a young woman named Freya. She was assigned to guide them through a grand tour of the grounds, which they would learn she maintained herself, as the leader of their gardening staff. Ahiru didn’t get a very good look at her at first, however, as she was at the back of the group—only catching a glimpse of the sunlight glittering on her long golden hair. Judging by her voice she seemed very sweet and in love with her work. On the other hand, she could see plenty of the garden. It was huge, covered with flowerbeds—and it was absolutely stunning.

There were daisies, cosmos, lilies, _oh,_ Ahiru didn’t even know enough to name all of the flowers she saw there! The grounds and all the plants must have been in full bloom! Everywhere was an explosion of color and life, and she would have liked to applaud Freya for her eye for aesthetic design.  Vines and berries clung to stone walls while shrubs had been trimmed into either geometric forms or neatly sculpted animals like mountain lions and deer. Robins and sparrows tweeted from tree branches calling for their mates while the tawnier females gathered twigs and dead plants for their nests. Rabbits were sometimes spotted, the white of their tails standing out against the green and rich colors of the flora and leaves. Bushy-tailed squirrels chased one another in a stand-off over nuts for food, and butterflies of every color made their home here, fluttering about over the student’s heads. Ahiru even saw one so large, she mistook it for a bird!

However, Freya’s centerpieces seemed to be the impressive stone sculptures littered around—there was a mother duck leading her ducklings across the path, life-sized squirrels along the edges, and stone gophers and chipmunks digging in the plots. The most interesting ones were a great horned deer bowing to an Ahiru-sized barn owl, and a strange harpy-like figure peering out from within an overgrown gazebo. The art instilled the students with a sense of mystery and wonder, as Freya seemed to have taken a more whimsical approach to her sculptures and their placement.

“We put a lot of work in planting this past season, so there’s not much left to do but water the flowers, as you can see.” Freya giggled as she spoke to the group, projecting perfectly for each student to hear her, as though she had done this tour-guide thing before. “Although as I’m sure you’ve noticed—we spend a lot of time on our sculptures as well. They are changed and moved—and by changed, I mean shape _and_ medium—with every season. However… There is one that stays the same, though. Right by the castle’s back entrance.”

Her timing was perfect—they had just rounded a corner of hedges to be met with what appeared to be the gigantic statue in question. It was a swan.

It towered over Ahiru, floating gracefully over what looked like a giant pool of clear water. There wasn’t a speck of dirt or muck allowed to form in the bottom. It seemed to have been placed over the fountain in the center of the grounds, allowing the water to find its way up the swan’s throat and release the pressure in a gentle stream trickling out from both its tenderly sculpted nostrils and eyes, as well as it’s barely-parted beak. She hadn’t realized that they had spent the entire time of their exploration skirting around it until just now, as a sort of finale Freya had in store.

It seemed that this was the end of the tour, and as students began to wander apart to get a better look at the fountain and talk with their friends, Ahiru was left to fend for herself. Quickly becoming overwhelmed when she couldn’t spot Lillie or Pique, she suddenly laid eyes on a bouncing blob of pinkish-mauve hair that could only be her sister. She tried to spin on her heel towards her but only ended up tripping over herself, somebody else’s shoe, and then running her face straight into somebody’s chest.

“Ah—ah! I am _so_ sorry—!“ All she could see was purple, thin fabric, and someone’s breasts. She was so much shorter than this person, her face was in line with their chest. Tilting her head up to identify the stranger and apologize properly, Ahiru froze when she saw their face. “Um…”

Ahiru gazed up at the most beautiful girl she had ever seen. “Uh… U-um, I—sorry, F— _Freya_ …” she squeaked. “I should have watched where I was going, I’m so clumsy sometimes, and I—“

Ahiru had run straight into the gardener. She was just so… _tall._ And her posture was impeccable. She had never seen someone stand up so straight before—besides maybe the king or Prince Mytho. Her hair hung down from her face in straight, voluptuous strands and Ahiru was overwhelmed by the urge to run her fingers through it. As Ahiru glanced down to check out (ugh, that was such a creepy way to put it—albeit true or not _)_ the rest of her, she saw that she was curvaceous and held her hands clasped in front of her. She wore a hat to keep out the sun, a dirt-stained purple tank-top and a mauve pair of short pants. Her knees were likewise stained with mud, while she bore almost comically tall brown work boots to defend her feet from grime. She smiled down at Ahiru. She struck her as the type of person who politeness was as important (and came as easy to them) as breathing.

“Oh, it’s quite alright!” She chirped.

Previously in a daze, Ahiru snapped out of it to sputter and blush up at the girl before her, unable to form words.

“No, really!” Amused, Freya rested a gentle hand on Ahiru’s shoulder, only resulting in sending another jolt through the shorter female. “No need to worry! Accidents happen, no one got hurt.” She chuckled, seemingly finding Ahiru’s nervous reactions cute. Her eyes closed as she giggled, gracefully lifting a hand to cover her mouth. “You are so funny… What a sweet kid.”

Wait. _Kid?_

Ahiru’s face immediately went back to the regular pallor of a redhead as she snapped a glare of vague offense and confusion toward Freya, but she didn’t seem to notice. Damn girl was still chuckling. Ahiru opened her mouth to speak, but—

“Children!” Mr. Katz squawked. Ahiru frowned and shut her mouth. Timely, as always. “Gather back, it seems it’s time for that snack they so graciously offered us, I’m told!”

Soon after that, servants had begun wheeling carts out of the castle bearing water, small cheese sandwiches and freshly baked molasses cookies.

When Ahiru turned back to Freya, she saw she was already taking her long strides over toward Mr. Katz, striking up a conversation. Ahiru tried to follow, but was too soon abducted by Lillie and Pique and dragged off to sit with them during their light meal. Darn it.   

…

Excited chatter buzzed through the large dining hall as children were instructed to take their seats, slightly overpowering the din of the royals and rich already present in their own assigned chairs. Ahiru was slightly disappointed when the seat at the head of the table was taken by Mr. Katz as she was _only_ _two seats down from there and oh if Mytho were to sit there he would be so **close**_ , but she reminded herself that although she wasn’t a mere Lillie and Pique away, the smaller table arranged at the head of the room that must be for the prince and his close guests wasn’t that far off either, so at least she’d get a good view.

A slight hush fell over the students as just that young man entered the room, but the chatter resumed as they realized he was not yet making a speech, simply greeting those who joined him at his own table as well as pulling his date’s chair from under the table and getting her situated (“What a _gentleman_ you’re missing out on!” Lillie had crooned, earning another light smack from Pique. Ahiru lost count of the number of slaps she’d received that day), and giving her a chaste kiss on the back of her hand. Ahiru scanned those seated at his table, rattling them off in her head, testing if she recognized any—random lady noble, random noble, pretty lady noble, prince, knight guy, the king… Wait. Knight guy? Uh… Frankfurt? He wasn’t in his armor anymore, just the general nobleman garb (which is what struck her as weird), but Ahiru could recognize him. He still had that antsy feeling about him, and she couldn’t help but notice his paranoid glances at the prince’s new date, as well as keeping an eye on the doors in and out of this room. Maybe he was… undercover? She figured knights did that sometimes, and this one appeared to be close enough to the prince to be a sort of bodyguard, so it made sense in her mind.

Anyway, besides the weird knight guy, she was surprised to see the king there. He hadn’t made much of a public appearance since the queen died, and as they had both stepped down a year or so ago in their old age to pass on the responsibility of ruling a kingdom to their young son and his advisors, he didn’t really have to. It was nice seeing the old man smile and take part in conversation with his son and those at his table, though, knowing how hard it must have been losing his wife while he still seemed so healthy despite the two being around the same age. It cheered her a bit, seeing him engage in the festivities. Having grown up under his rule, and being pretty much supportive of most of his political decisions, she was glad to see that.

Eventually, the prince raised a glass and tapped it with his spoon, announcing his need for their attention. The crowd quieted politely, watching and waiting for him to speak. He smiled that airy smile of his, sweeping his gaze across all of them. Old habits die hard, and Ahiru couldn’t help but swoon. He was just… so _pretty!_

“Thank you all so much for coming. You see…” he paused, glancing to the woman by his side, hesitating, before gently taking one of her hands in his. She smiled supportively, and he smiled graciously back. “You see,” he continued, turning to face the room of people, “I am very proud to be here tonight. I have officially begun a relationship… with my best friend.” He smiled at her and stood, releasing her hand so he could gesture toward the crowd. “We have agreed upon marriage, however in the future. A ceremony that would take place a year from now.” A murmur rose from the audience, soon giving way to a congratulatory applause.

“Her name is Lady Rue.” He smiled fondly down at her. “I am so very grateful to have her in my life, and I request that you all, and the rest of Kinkan, accept her into your own. She has been a lovely friend to me, and although you may not know her, you do not know her like I do. She is well deserving of all your fondness and trust. I know she has all of mine.” There were _awws_ and happy mutterings in the crowd. “I hope that one day soon, she will join me not simply as my fiancée, but as your queen.” This elicited more _aww_ -ing, as well as clapping, initiated by Prince Mytho’s father no less. He seemed to be wiping tears from his eyes as he did so. Frank or whatever beside the old man whispered something to him, and his smile grew wider as he stared fondly up at his son.

“I thank you, from the bottom of my heart. Truly. For the love and acceptance you have always shown me. It warms my heart, and eases the stress on my soul and my mind. I am very glad to have my beloved receive such an incredibly warm welcome.” He bowed his head for a moment, silent, before he resumed. “Moving on, I would also like to thank the students of our academy for attending tonight, and I would also like to thank you all for the letters and gifts you’ve bestowed upon me in return.” His hazel eyes shown with genuine admiration for the students. “I will read every single one. And,” he added, joking, “I hope that you may prove to me that all that practice Mr. Katz has put you through so far was not for naught during our little dance, I know exactly what it is like to learn the art from him, and it _can_ get pretty rough.” The crowd chuckled as Mr. Katz nodded, arms crossed and mewling happily, his tail swiping back and forth. “And I thank him for everything I know on the subject, as it is a result of his teachings that I may enjoy such a hobby as fulfilling as dance and ballet. No other art has ever managed to compare.”

“Now then, as I’m sure you’ve been waiting for. I won’t hold you all any longer. Let us begin. It’s time to eat!” He cheered good-naturedly, and as if on cue, footmen barged through the doors bearing their dinner.

Everyone was treated to a delicious multiple course meal—initially being presented with glasses of refreshing mountain spring water and samplings of cheese and fruit such as oranges, grapes, and apples, along with those the likes of which Ahiru had never seen before. Secondly, they were served creamy mushroom and potato soups, kale and spinach salads, as well as rye and wheat breads and various dressings to choose from. A small band appeared near the prince’s table and provided some merry background music as they moved from the second course to the next, now being offered sweet grape wines (although those given to the academy students were incredibly watered-down, Ahiru noticed), as well as plates of pink salmon with a side of grilled vegetables such as onions, radishes, and cucumbers. Next, they were treated to rare cuts of venison with a side of deliciously cheesy rice and potatoes. As the footmen rushed to replace cleared plates with fresh ones that bore slices of sweet strawberry short cake doused in whipped cream, Ahiru saw the knight beside Prince Mytho suddenly and pointedly get up and leave the room. She hadn’t been paying attention or seen anything before he had stood, and so she had no clue as to why he was leaving. She also couldn’t see his expression as he went, but if the way he stomped out of the hall was any indication, he seemed... ticked off? He seemed to have somewhere to be right then and there that minute. It made the rest of her time spent there feel, well, rather foreboding, and she couldn’t pinpoint exactly why.  

Pushing that thought to the back of her mind, Ahiru shrugged and tried to enjoy her cake. However, she was on edge after that, unable to cease tapping her foot (to Pique’s dismay—she always hated the noise made when people did that), and only managed to gently pick away at her dessert much longer than it took anyone else in the room to finish.

After every guest was sufficiently full of good food, the prince had his guards and servants usher them into a different room—and this one was much bigger, and even more impressive. It was what looked to be the castle’s throne room—however the two thrones at the front were roped off, the prince and his group (Ahiru noted that the knight still had not rejoined them) standing just in front of it on the raised bit of stone as he awaited to address his people. There were tables and chairs along the edges of the room, and four curved columns holding the roof up. Said roof was masterfully sculpted with beautiful slits in the stone replaced with glass, allowing the soon to be setting sun to gaze into the building to aid the floating, blue-ish lanterns keeping the room dimly-lit. 

The band from before had moved to their own location in the throne/ballroom hybrid, tucked into a corner where they could still be seen without getting in the way of the dancers. Footmen bustled about with plates bearing various bubbling nonalcoholic and alcoholic drinks. It seemed they were all in for a very nice night.

Ahiru stood beside Lillie and Pique, sipping on a cup of sparkling cider as the two gossiped, waiting for the prince to speak. When he did, the entire room fell silent. It was easy to see how much respect a crowd had for one singular person based on how easily they gave up the spotlight to him. That, or one could see how much they feared him, but with Mytho this clearly wasn’t the case.

Ahiru was so glad she had been able to be there that night.

Even though she knew that this Lady Rue was perfect for Prince Mytho, and that she had no chance, she was happy if only to see him smile. She wished he could smile and be happy forever, if possible. She never wanted that joy to leave his face.

“Friends, I hope you enjoy the rest of tonight’s festivities. I am glad to have announced Lady Rue and I’s engagement with a lovely celebration to follow. Please, enjoy yourselves, and—“

The prince had suddenly stopped talking.

He seemed to have frozen in time, staring blankly at the crowd. His face grew progressively paler, and his eyes widened in horror as the seconds ticked by. Rue and the king reached out to him, trying to get some sort of response, worry etched in both of their faces. The crowd meanwhile whispered, looking around confused as to what made him seem so horrified despite nothing out of the ordinary being there.

Ahiru felt frozen in place. The hair on her arms and the back of her neck prickled and stood on end, and she felt dread seep into her from her chest all the way down to the pit of her stomach. It felt like ice inside of her. She could hear it: a noise no one else seemed to be aware of, coming from all around her, as though it were in her own mind.

She could faintly hear an old man’s laughter, and the ticking of a clock.

“What the… what the heck is going on?” Absorbed by her own fear as well as the prince’s, Ahiru barely heard Pique ask the question while in her current state. When Lillie shrugged and Ahiru didn’t respond, she turned to her sister. Pique frowned at the look on her face and waved her hand in front of her. “Yoo-hoo? Earth to…” Pique trailed off as she became aware of the ground quaking beneath her feet, and her confused expression gave way to one of fear.

The crowd gasped and stumbled as the ground shook. Someone screamed, someone else asked if it were an earthquake. Ahiru didn’t care. Dimly, her gaze shifted back to the prince.

He looked so scared. She saw tears well up in his eyes as he shivered there, facing some unseen adversary. She blinked. Her eyes felt wet too. He was surrounded by people, and yet he looked so alone. Her heart ached for him. A singular raspy caw of a raven could be heard from outside.

Lady Rue was at the point of shaking her prince, shouting to him, “Prince Mytho… Siegfried! Snap out of it! What’s going _on_?” Even the panic (and use of his first name) in her usually cool-toned voice would not rouse him from his daze. His eyes only widened in gentle surprise. Something about him just made him seem so hopelessly and utterly _alone._ Ahiru desperately wanted to help him fill that void, to return his usual airy smile to those soft lips, but in that instant, something told her she may have just lost the opportunity to see it ever again.

His lips parted, barely moving as he breathed a question.

“You don’t hear him?”

Ahiru was barely aware of the world around her as the chortling grew louder. She and the prince seemed to be the only ones to hear it, if she were to assume they were both thinking of the same “him”. She felt dizzy, scared, and her vision was going cloudy. Her eyelids kept fluttering closed, her eyes trying to roll into the back of her head—it took all her strength to fight it. She needed to do _something,_ but she didn’t know what, and her body wouldn’t move. She felt so powerless. Her body quaked just like the earth around them.

All she could think of was the sadness in the prince’s eyes. She had never seen that look on his beautiful face before. A moment ago, there was such joy there, but now…

She wished to fix it. To save him.

Something in his face told her that just now, standing there with his people crying out all around him, Prince Mytho had made a decision, and a serious one. She could see the resolve in his eyes for a split second before everything seemed to fall apart.

A soft red light suddenly glowed from his chest, and he cried out in pain, clutching at it. The king stumbled and lost consciousness. Ahiru could hear a strained male voice crying out Mytho’s name, and hurried footsteps from the crowd in his direction. She wished she could run up there and save the prince as well, just like that person. She so desperately wanted to help him, it broke her heart to see him in pain, and scared her to death to see his people in trouble. It wasn’t long before Lady Rue fell too, clutching at her prince’s shirt until she went limp. Just as she saw the back of the knight from before reaching for the prince, arms and legs shaking, Ahiru felt her strength failing as she joined the others in allowing her knees to buckle and collapsed onto the floor.

In her last few moments of dizzy semi-consciousness she heard the laughter trailing off, replaced by the voice asking a question meant only for her.

_You say you want to save him?_

**Yes.** Yes, she wanted to save the prince. She’d do anything.

_Then we’ll use you, Ahiru-chan. Let’s see what role you can play… Little Duck._

He began to laugh again, but Ahiru was already losing consciousness, and had fallen fast asleep.

She didn’t wake up for a while after that.


	2. Chapter 2

Ahiru dreamed of a man with bulging eyes and a white beard.

She was in the house above the tailor she grew up in. Ahiru could tell she was a little girl again, because she was so short (more so than usual). She didn’t know it was a dream at the time—all she knew was that she had woken up in the dead of night wanting a glass of water. So, she crawled out of bed and crept past her parents’ and sister’s closed doors. She had to halt upon creeping into the hall, allowing her eyes time to adjust so she could see.

What she wound up seeing would shake her to her core.

It was the old grandfather clock in its usual spot at the end of the hallway.

It had always scared her as a child, but something about it tonight made her little body tremble in fear. Usually, she avoided looking at it when she was up late, or just covered her eyes as she felt her way down the hall past it. But, this time she was drawn towards it instead. She felt she had lost control of her body. Every step toward the clock made more and more dread bubble up inside of her, until it threatened to spill out of her stomach.

She listened as the steady ticking of the clock contrasted with her increasing heart rate. It pounded in her ears and made her feel sick. She tried not to gag as she approached, neck bent uncomfortably so she could gaze up at the ungodly mass of glass and wood.

One last step brought her before the clock—and that was where she felt frozen. Ahiru couldn’t move. She whimpered, trying to turn away, but her legs were glued in place. She didn’t want to look. She didn’t want to _look._

The minute hand clicked. It was 3:00 AM.

As the clock began ringing its three chimes, she counted it down in her head.

 _One._ Her body was ice, and her legs were made of stone. She wanted to scream and run but she couldn’t. She felt such a horrid lack of control, and _so_ unsafe, that she feared for her life. It may have seemed silly to be so afraid of an inanimate object—but dreams had a way of making _everything_ imaginable scarier. The clock towered over her. _Two._ She begged for Pique or her parents to come and get her, to hold her, allow her to look away. She needed to look away. She didn’t know what she would see, and she didn’t want to find out. She felt it would be wrong to observe it, wrong to know, it shouldn’t be _real,_ this shouldn’t be happening. She knew something was very wrong—she felt that she was somewhere where lines were blurring between reality and something more like a nightmare. _Three._

She hated clocks.

The anticipation seemed to fade for a moment as nothing happened. The constant ticking resumed, and Ahiru let her shoulders relax. Then she heard the creaking of hinges.

The clock opened, seemingly a one-way window, and an old man stepped out. Something about him screamed unnatural—he was poised in a way that made Ahiru feel he might jump her and strike at any moment. Time seemed to stop. She saw him disappear, reappear—his grotesque grin and frame could be seen in every shadow and every dark corner of the hall. She could tell he was laughing, but she couldn’t hear it past the ringing in her ears. Then he was standing in front of her again, and she could finally take a breath when the ringing subsided and she heard him speak.

“Hello again, Ahiru-chan.” She could tell by his voice that he was the source of the laughter she had heard at the prince’s royal feast. “I’ll give you access to the power you’ll need to save the prince, as you so wished.” He chuckled and raised his hand.

An image of the prince formed, poised gracefully atop his hand. He was glowing a translucent white, and danced in the man’s palm. His moves and expressions made Ahiru feel sad and empty, yearning for _something_ that had been lost, but she didn’t know what was lost, and to who. The man closed his fist tightly, the image of the prince dissipating with a _poof._ He smiled and glowered down at her.

“But am I awakening power from inside of you, or would you be useless without me in the first place? A fine question! Must be a story to it.” He snapped his fingers, and a glowing light shot from his palm and into Ahiru’s pendant.

Her teeth clattered as she tried to speak. Her mouth was too dry. She tried again. “Who are you?”

He grinned. “Ahiru-chan, I’m the reason you exist.”

Ahiru felt like her world was spinning. Her knees shook.

“My name is Drosselmeyer,” He continued, disappearing for a moment, as his image flickered back into existence on the wall. “I’m an author. Surely you’ve heard of me?” He chuckled his raspy elderly laugh.

“Never heard of you.” Ahiru squeaked out.

“Eh?” Drosselmeyer was caught off guard for a moment, glaring down at her before he recovered. “Eh. Ah!” He smiled suddenly, reappearing behind her, making her jump in fright.

“Of course _you_ haven’t, Little Duck. How silly of me.” This made him laugh, but Ahiru didn’t get the joke. Why was he calling her that? Why was it so funny? She was reminded of a time she spent floating in a small pond cloaked in fog—a memory long buried and left behind.

“What do you want from me?” She demanded, defiant despite her cold sweat and pounding heart.

“Why, simply to follow through with your wish, Ahiru-chan! Something bad will come of the prince very soon. You see, he isn’t a real prince. He’s from a fairytale.

I can tell by the look on your face—you don’t believe me! But think about it, darling. Have you ever seen a human being so beautiful? So graceful?” His eyes narrowed. “Do you remember ever seeing him prior to the age of seventeen?”

Ahiru’s eyes widened, horrified. The king and queen had had a baby eighteen years ago—but as she raked her memory, she realized the prince had never made a public appearance until he reached his late teenage years, and even her memories of the kingdom before that were incomplete and cloudy. “But… why?”

“Ahiru- _chan_ ,” he tutted. “Don’t you get it? He’s not real! He wasn’t even existing in your world until he was of that age! He’s a character from my book.” He added smugly. Then he grimaced. “Although, story’s laid a bit dormant for a while now… B—but ah, not like that anymore!” He said hastily, the illusion of him suddenly becoming taller as he gestured toward her, making her flinch and shrink back. “The prince’s long lost enemy has returned once again—soon he will lose his heart, and _you…_ You will be the only one who can save him.”

“M— _me?_ ” Ahiru pointed to herself. “Why me? Why not anybody else?”

“Because you _care._ I saw you at the feast that night. I _know_ you, and how you were feeling. You have the perfect amount of selflessness and bravery for a heroine. You cared and felt more than anyone that the prince needed help—that you should save him.”

She thought of Rue, the knight, and the king. _They_ seemed to care. She tried to say so.

“But that can’t be true, I—“

“It’s the role you have been assigned!” He snapped, earning a yelp from her before he backtracked quickly and (a little sheepishly) said, “Truly, you’ve no reason to fear me, eh heh heh… I want to see you succeed. The prince _needs_ you. I have given you the opportunity _and_ ability to do it. I want to be your audience, and see you make this happen.” He reached out and gently took hold of the red gem of her pendant, staring at it fondly. It shone softly at his touch. He glanced up at her. “…You _do_ want to save him, right?”

Ahiru frowned and thought for a moment. She already knew her answer—she’d made it that night, when she saw the prince frozen in horror, his people and guests crumpling around him—he had looked so _sad_ , so defeated _…_ She didn’t know if she could trust this man, but… if it meant she could help Mytho…

Despite his unkind and lopsided grin (one of the many red flags with this guy), Ahiru nodded and met his eyes. “What do you need me to do?”

Drosselmeyer smiled. He’d won her over. He internally relished in his victory a moment before replying, “That settles it, then. Use this power, take the role of Princess Tutu, and restore your prince’s heart. Give me an interesting tale, my lead heroine…” He paused to chuckle and whisper, “If only heron were more appropriate… That’s a good idea, why didn’t I think of that before…” Ahiru tilted her head, confused. She had barely heard him.

Finally, Drosselmeyer seemed to remember where he was. “I’m counting on you to give me an interesting story, Little Duck!” He cooed, and drew his cape around him as he stepped back into the clock. It swung shut behind him, but his chortling laughter continued to sound throughout the hall. It felt like it was permanently repeating inside her brain.

That was when Ahiru finally screamed.

You see, as he closed the door, she was then able to catch her reflection in the glass.

She didn’t see a dumb redhead little kid like she should have—she saw exactly what the man had used when referring to her.

She saw an ugly little duckling.

…

Ahiru gasped as she jolted awake, cold sweat dripping from her forehead. She took a moment to breathe deeply to calm down, reminding herself that she wasn’t a bird or anything, it was just a dream.

_See? Look at your hands._

She held them up in front of her face, saw the freckles on the backs of them, and the hangnail on her left thumb.

Human hands.

Slowly, she relaxed her tense muscles until her breathing returned to normal and she felt that she could think straight again.

Only then did she realize she wasn’t in her own bed.

Ahiru looked around. She seemed to be in a hastily-arranged cot, and a peek underneath the crisp white blankets showed that she was no longer in her uniform, but a white nightgown. She wiggled her toes underneath the sheets before swinging her legs around and sitting up. Across from her was another bed where Pique slept soundly, and a curtain near her seemed to separate them from the rest of the large, echoing room. Voices murmured from behind the fabric, and the architecture and décor looked oddly familiar.

“Is this… the throne room?” Ahiru wondered aloud to herself. She jumped when she earned a response.

“Oh, is someone awake back here?” A young woman with long brown hair peered through the curtain. “Ah, you’re up! Um… Ahiru, right?” She asked, checking a clipboard in her hands. She seemed to be one of the people working at the castle. Ahiru nodded, and the woman smiled gently.

“Well, I’m glad you’re up. And yes, this is the throne room, we just sectioned people off because… ah, well, you probably aren’t so worried about that.” She sighed, walking across the room to sit beside her on the bed.

“I’m Raetsel, and I’m a maid as well as a bit of a healer. Do you remember the ball you and your classmates attended three nights ago?” She inquired, head tilted a tad.

“The…” Ahiru croaked. Her jaw dropped. “Wait, what do you mean three nights ago!?” She’d been out for _two days?_ The memories of that night came flooding back to her, and she felt that horrible panic returning. She gripped at her mother’s pendant for reassurance, and was relieved when her fingers met the cool stone. She had been worried that as they had changed her clothes they may have removed her jewelry, too.

Raetsel sighed again. “It’s alright, you’re safe now. And nothing bad happened to you either.” She added quickly, trying to ease some of the young girl’s fears. “You’ve been examined by the castle’s healers—and just like with everyone else—turned out to be just fine. There was a sort of attack that night, except no one was really _harmed_ , per se, just…” She chewed her lip, then huffed and shook her head. Her shoulders sagged. “Ugh, it hasn’t gotten any easier to explain…”

“It’s alright, I understand.” Ahiru said softly. “Just say what you need to. Please, tell me.”

“…Okay.” Raetsel looked determined for a moment, then gave Ahiru a small smile.

“Basically, what happened was, someone used magic to put everyone present into a deep sleep, as well as cause the room to shake. We believe it was all simply done in an effort to threaten or embarrass the prince.” She scowled for a moment, as though directing the face at the unknown attacker. “Everyone woke up at different times, and so those who awoke first began an investigation, but the attacker was long gone. Meanwhile, we made sure everyone invited was accounted for and safe, as well as not wounded or anything like that as a result. You and your sister here are some of the few left to wake up. Some woke as soon as five minutes after the fact, so people within other parts of the castle didn’t even hear of it until later.” She glanced over Ahiru’s attire before adding, “And don’t worry, your belongings were all left just under your bed, and your parents were notified. Your teacher or chaperone is obviously aware, too. You can leave whenever you feel ready, but let us know immediately if you feel you are hurt in any way.” Raetsel grew more serious.

“I’ll check you out as you’re awake right now, so make sure you are in your dorm tonight before light’s out. That’s what Mr. Katz decided to do to keep track of all of you. It’s about five o‘clock already, so you should still be able to grab some dinner from the Academy’s mess tonight, and you can check in with him there too, so long as it’s before curfew. Our staff has other things to worry about right now, so we ask that students just are sure to be responsible.” She scribbled something on the clipboard. “Unless you want to wait here for your sister to wake up, that is. But anyhow, I have some other things to get to, so go ahead and change if you’d like.” Raetsel stood to leave and paused just as she was pushing through the curtain. “And… the prince wanted everyone, including you, to know that you have his sincerest apologies.” She bowed to Ahiru for a moment before straightening. “If he knew what the attacker was planning, he never would have let any of this happen, but he hopes it eases your fears that it was only a scare tactic with no real damage done.” Then she smiled sweetly to her once again, curtsied, and made her exit.

After Raetsel left, Ahiru didn’t really know what to think. She numbly stood up and peered underneath the bed they’d provided to fish out her uniform and change, tossing the nightgown onto the mattress, not even thinking to fold it (she would kick herself for having been so rude later that night). As she adjusted her pendant, she glanced over her shoulder at Pique who was still out cold. Ahiru frowned. She wanted to leave—she felt so lost—but she didn’t know where to go. She didn’t feel like eating (even though she probably should), and she _really_ didn’t feel like talking to Mr. Katz right away… She wished her sister were awake at least, so she wouldn’t be so lonely. Maybe having Pique around would make it easier to make sense of some things.

Dimly, Ahiru became aware of a sort of twinkling music playing. She paid it no mind however, as she was engrossed in her own thoughts. Should she wait for Pique to wake up? She wondered where Lillie was, and if she were still asleep as well. She sure hoped the prince was okay; he seemed so sad that night. He could even be wounded—what was with that red glowing thing near his heart before, anyway? Ahiru thought Raetsel had said no one was hurt—but Mytho sure had looked like he was hurting at the time.

She didn’t even notice when the music sounded to be right outside her and Pique’s makeshift door, at least until someone muttered “Excuse me,” and entered their area without waiting for a response. Ahiru squawked in surprise, slapping a hand over her mouth (she remembered how Lillie had once embarrassed her over this—“You always make such weird noises! You sound like a bird, how cute!”—) and stumbled into the wall.

After regaining her balance, Ahiru turned to face the intruder.

It was a woman wheeling an organ grinder—she was pale, dressed eccentrically, and had green hair styled in an elaborate up-do. She smiled softly at her, looking completely sublime in her purple lipstick and strange attire, and motioned to the wall behind Ahiru.

Slowly, Ahiru turned, mouth still covered, and stared at the wall. It took her a moment to realize that the spot the woman had requested she turn in had her standing directly in front of an out-of-place mark etched into the stone. It looked like a little webbed foot. She turned back to the green-haired woman, shaking slightly as she chirped through her fingers, “W—who are you?”

Calmly, the woman replied, “I am Edel.

You are Ahiru.”

She curtsied.

Ahiru felt herself jump at the sound of her name. “How do you know my name?” Even as Edel only laughed in response, Ahiru unexpectedly felt herself relax. The woman was so inexplicably calm, and Ahiru didn’t get the impression she meant any ill will. Somehow, she knew she could trust her.

They stared at each other for a moment, before Ahiru broke the silence, “Are—are you—“ She sputtered until Edel talked over her.

“You are to save the prince, correct?”

Ahiru tilted her head at that, lips parting as the realization dawned on her. “I… Yes.” She breathed. “I remember. That man said… That I would be Princess Tutu, and somehow I could—I could—how am I supposed to save him? And what did he mean ‘be Princess Tutu’? Like, I have to _be_ my mom…? I thought that was only a stage name!” Overwhelmed, Ahiru gazed up at Edel with wide eyes. “What do I do?”

When met with only that same small smile, Ahiru frowned. But then Edel spoke. “A story begins, a happy accident.” She once again pointed to the mark on the wall behind Ahiru, and she could feel magic emanating from the woman’s hand. “You tell me what happens next.”

Ahiru looked over her shoulder at where she was gesturing. A glowing blue disembodied hand appeared behind her, making her cry out and jump away, clinging to her bed in desperation. It looked just like Edel’s actual hand, and floated there a moment before it simply pointed a finger and pushed the stone right in the place it had been marked. To Ahiru’s surprise, the stone gave way, and so did many of the bricks surrounding it. It was a hole big enough that Ahiru could get on her hands and knees and crawl inside—enabling access to the passageway beyond.

“A path is open to you.” Edel lowered her hand. She smiled once again—it was light and airy, as though there were no real emotion behind it, and her eyelids closed so _slow_ when she blinked, it seemed unnatural. “Use the pendant’s power. You are able to scry for him.”

“Huh…?” Ahiru then noticed a dim red light shining from below her chin, and she looked down to find it was emanating from her mother’s necklace. As it glowed, Ahiru felt its warmth wash over her, and she recognized this feeling as some sort of magical power. She pressed her hand to the pendant, watched its light shine through her fingers... Was the necklace enchanted somehow? When did that happen? And she was horrible with magic!  
                “But I’m _horrible_ with magic!” She repeated, out loud this time. “I’m just—I’m just lousy with it! I’m _not_ good with magic, not even the easiest spells or—or anything! Like, Pique knows magic that works well with her family’s work and she can control fabrics and threads and other objects and stuff, but she was born with it! I’m not… I’m…” Her lip quivered and she hung her head. “I’m not good at anything. Not school, not magic… not even dance…” She looked up at Edel through the tears brewing in her eyes, voice shaking. “How can I ever keep the promise I swore to myself and to Drosselmeyer for the prince?”

“Relax, Ahiru.” Edel said, blissful as ever. She took a few steps forward, the wheels of the music box clattering softly against the floor. She gently cupped the girl’s cheek, and Ahiru found herself finding comfort in this stranger’s touch. “You have more power than you know. For a heroine to succeed in fulfilling her role, she must only try.”

Ahiru closed her eyes for a moment, leaning into the woman’s cold hand. Then she pulled away to rub the tears out of her eyes. She nodded briskly. “Okay... I’ll try.”  
                Determined now, she smiled at Edel once more, before taking her pendant in her hands. It had stopped glowing by then, but as she called upon it, she felt it warm in her grasp. She thought back to a class months ago, when Mr. Katz first taught them about scrying. He had said that most magicians simply used a bowl of clean (or better yet, blessed) water, and called upon their magic aloud to show them a person, place, or thing, and/or its location. He had said that some of the more advanced users could even use a form of this magic to sense a person’s location and track them down without the use of any pools of water at all. Ahiru decided that seemed like the best option for her to try. From the way the magic in the pendant felt, and the amount of power she knew this kind of spell would require, she figured it would be more than capable.  

“Please…” She whispered, her eyes fluttering closed. “Please, show me the prince. Show me Prince Siegfried Mythos.”

Immediately, an image of a disheveled Mytho with his head in his hands formed in Ahiru’s mind, so intense it felt that she was there with him. He seemed to be seated on a plush couch, and she could see Lady Rue beside him, comforting him while he wept. The vision only lasted a few seconds, and as she was swept back into the present Ahiru gasped.

As she caught her breath, she became aware of a heartbeat that was not her own. She could sense it somewhere above her, and to her right. In an eastern tower of the castle.

Mytho.

Slowly, as her success dawned on her, she began to grin and bounce on her heels. Warm pride filled up her chest. Laughing, she faced Edel.

“Edel! Edel, I did it! I found him.” She beamed up at the woman, who simply nodded in response. Ahiru’s smile faltered, before giving her a small thoughtful grin. “Thank you, Edel.”

Edel didn’t respond, but her vague, empty smile was enough. Ahiru waved to her as she crawled into the passageway—almost hitting her head more than once—before scampering off into the semi-darkness.

…

Although there were lit candles in the passage, Ahiru found herself tripping just as much as if it had been pitch black. However, she still managed to follow the heartbeat, slowly making her way up and east. Sometimes she heard servants bustling down the passageways, and would duck around a corner or into one of the doorways that sometimes lined the tight hall and hid until they passed. She wasn’t so sure if they’d be glad to find some Academy student trespassing in their corridor, so she wasn’t about to let herself get caught. At least not until she’d gotten to talk to Mytho.

Eventually, the passage she had taken came to an end with only a dusty old door remaining. Inside was a small storage room that didn’t seem to have been used in years besides people _maybe_ sometimes using it to pass through from the entrance Ahiru had just come through and the door adjacent to it. There was also a window, allowing her access to some rays of the afternoon sun. This was the first one Ahiru had seen in a while, and so she peered out of it, jumping backwards when she saw that she was _very_ high up. Head spinning, she took a moment to breathe before checking for Mytho’s heartbeat again. She was getting closer.

Ahiru opened the next door and stepped out into a much wider passageway, although just as dark and dank as the previous one, if not more so. It seemed to lead to certain rooms one otherwise wouldn’t have access to by regular means, so she had no idea how to get back to Edel and Pique besides the sneaky way she had come through originally. Noted.

Ahiru continued climbing, as this passage was one hundred percent stairs now, until she finally stopped before an ajar door. She could feel and hear Mytho’s heart beyond it, as voices she recognized as his and Lady Rue’s murmured from within the room. This was it! She could talk to him, tell Mytho what she knew, and—

Suddenly someone came from behind Ahiru and covered her mouth with their gloved hand. She couldn’t shriek past the taste of leather. She struggled at first and began to cry for help against their palm until she saw and felt the glint of cold steel against her throat and froze. The person restraining her slowly turned her around and began pushing her away from the door and back down the steps of the dim passage until they were a well enough distance away for them to speak. Ahiru noticed, with a grimace, they weren’t too far from the unused storage room door that, she just now realized, she had accidentally left wide open. She hoped things like that and other breadcrumbs she’d left behind wasn’t what had led this person to discover her. “Shout, and you’re dead.” They threatened. Then, they removed their hand from her mouth and, keeping their sword pressed to her neck stepped in front of her so she could see them and they could see her.

“I don’t know who you are or what you want, but you better tell me what you know right now or I _swear_ I’ll—“ He cut off, eyes widening as he took in her young face and uniform.

It was the knight from before. Franklin?

“You’re a student…” He blinked at her for a moment before recovering. “What the hell are you doing here?” He’d gone back to snarling, but he _also_ took the blade away from her neck, granting Ahiru a sigh of relief. She hugged herself for a moment and sighed some more. Then she remembered where she was and looked up.

Sword still drawn, he had placed a hand on his hip and was looking at her imploringly.

“O—oh.” Ahiru had forgotten to answer him while relishing in the fact that she was not yet dead. She found herself fiddling with her pendant nervously. “Right. Well. Um—“

“Spit it out.” He snapped, brow knit with frustration as his boot tapped away at the floor.

“Alright, alright, sorry! Jeez. Just don’t point that at me…” Ahiru whined and shuddered before collecting herself a bit. “Alright, so—Prince Mytho looked like he was really hurt and everybody passed out—I’m referring to that time three nights ago, I mean, cause I was there—but anyway when I was unconscious I heard a scary voice tell me I needed to save him, and then the scary voice had a _guy_ —and wait like, I mean a _guy_ as in he had a body to go with his voice now—and he talked to me for a bit and I think he gave me like magical powers or something that have something to do with my mom so now I really have to go talk to the prince so I can help him and—“ The man cut her off by pointing his sword at her throat suddenly, causing her to squeak and put both of her hands up, trying her best to lean away from the sharp blade.

“P—please don’t hurt me! I’m trying to _help_ , I—“

“Idiot.” He grumbled. “Everyone was put to sleep, you’re not special just because you had some stupid dream.”

“… _What?_ ” Incredulous, Ahiru fought for words to say. Although it probably _did_ sound crazy, Ahiru realized that, she just couldn’t believe how the heck he could still treat her that way. What gave him the right? In addition, his anger only fueled her own as she began to grow almost as irritated as he was. And raising his _sword_ against her just because he thought she was saying something stupid, _really?_ What kind of knight is this guy? Whatever happened to chivalry? So many questions! He didn’t make any _sense!_

“It’s _not_ stupid,” she defended, “and it _wasn’t_ a dream! I—“

“Oh, please.” He rolled his eyes, not lowering his sword. “You’re delusional.”

“Would you just let me talk!?” Ahiru exclaimed, at a loss. This guy made her want to rip her hair out. At his continued disdainful look, Ahiru put her hands on her hips and defiantly stepped forward, head held high, not afraid of this guy’s stupid sword anymore. He raised a thick eyebrow as she pressed her own chest against the tip of the blade, her little face screwed up in rage.

“OK first off: you’re a _jerk,_ and you won’t even let me _try_ to explain myself without literally fucking threatening to kill me or something! And I _really_ don’t think the prince would approve of you attempting to hurt me for only speaking to you and trespassing when I haven’t raised a _single finger_ to hurt _you._ Stop acting like you’re so _tough_ and _scary_ ,” she said mockingly as she stuck her tongue out, adding, “Just what kind of knight _are_ you?”

That may have been a mistake, as she seemed to be getting through to him just a bit before she insulted him. She had had his attention for a moment, as he looked at her with eyebrows raised, up until the more childish bit which only ticked him off again.

“You _idiot!”_ He snarled and raised his sword.

But even as Ahiru squeaked and brought her arms up to protect her face, he unceremoniously slammed it back into its sheath. She blinked. That… was not what she expected him to do.

“…Oh.

I thought you were going to stab me.”

He huffed, then grabbed her by the arm and began pulling her along further downstairs. She fought against him. “Wait! Stop, I—“

“ _Listen.”_ The knight said, and the hate dripping off the word made her shut her mouth quick.

“Don’t you _ever_ ”—his grip tightened as he spoke—“tell me or any other knight you think we’re doing something wrong, or not the way you would do it—it’s not your fucking right. I am the prince’s appointed knight and I know what I’m doing I am _trained_ for this and I _will_ do it my way. You have no right to tell me otherwise.” She tried to wiggle out of his grasp, only to be yanked right back. She yelped at the pain. The older boy was spitting his words directly into her ear now.

“I know the most about what Mytho needs and what he doesn’t. You have no idea what you’re talking about, you’re just an eyesore _kid_ who thought she could get her dumb freckly nose involved in much more important people’s business. You need to leave right now, and I never want to see or hear of you near the prince again.”

Ahiru jumped at his demands for her to leave, and slipped out of his grasp to face him. “Wait! What’s your name?”

The knight froze, staring at her in shock. “I—what?”

Ahiru huffed, rubbing at the sore spot on her arm where he had grabbed her. “Your name! What is it? I remember that Charon calling you something… uh… something like Fran… Fact… um…”

Flabbergasted, all he could do was stare. “It’s… Fakir. That’s my first name. Fakir Lohengrin.”

She smiled up at the ceiling and pressed a finger to her chin as she remembered. “Ohhh! Yeah, that was it! My name is Ahiru.” She shifted the smile down to Fakir, who was still dazed. “Fakir is a nice name,” there was a beat in which she pouted, “but I wish you were nicer to me.”

“Are you… are you kidding me, right now?” He shook his head as if to shake off the craziness and stupidity she was spreading to him. “And—and you’re not supposed to call me that, it’s supposed to be ‘Sir Lohengrin’ when you talk to a—agh, the fuck am I saying…” He pressed a hand to his face. Maybe it _was_ contagious. “Just… just get out. Like I said. You’re too weird to be up here anyway. I’m escorting you.” He set off at a brisk pace down the passage once again.

“Hey!” She exclaimed, although she was now following him down the stairs without any force necessary. But that didn’t stop her from some more pouting. “I still really don’t think I should leave! And… you’re still really mean.” She trailed off, then mumbled forlornly, “…You’re not a nice person, you know.”

“I don’t care.”

“And I really need to speak with the prince…!”

“I don’t care.”

Ahiru sighed. What was she to do? She couldn’t get away from this knight now, and she could feel the scrying spell wearing off already—Mytho’s once loud and pounding heartbeat now felt a million times softer and harder to hear, and she was bound to get lost without that to guide her, even if she _did_ manage to lose Fakir and tried to get back to the room he was in again. _Think, think…_ She thought. _I could get away from him if only he wouldn’t notice, but he would, he can see me and it’s pretty easy to hear my footsteps. I can’t just run off, and he’s probably faster than me… I need to just disappear into thin air for one second and then I could…_

Wait. Disappear?

Another spell she had learned in class, but had been unable to perform properly.

Alright. She had an idea.

Focusing, Ahiru cleared her mind, just like Mr. Katz had said. During class, she had only managed to get the spell to work for a little under one second, while most of her classmates could achieve around four—but the _real_ masters, according to Mr. Katz, could get up to fifteen seconds of use out of it. She simply had to imagine herself away, fade away into the background, and it would appear as if she had completely disappeared for a few precious moments. Like Edel said, she first just had to try, and so she took a deep breath, imagined herself disappearing, allowed her presence in the room to fade, and—

“Huh?” Fakir turned around.

He had heard a light _pop_ as he saw the girl completely disappear out of the corner of his eye.

“Shit.” She got away. Maybe she really did have powers. Dammit. Dammit! He should never have let go of her. But where the hell did she go? Unless she was so stubborn to still—

Mytho. She went after Mytho. Again.

“ _Shit!”_

…

Ahiru tried to quiet her breath as she heard Fakir run by.

She hid behind the open door to the storage room, having sprinted up there as fast as she could as soon as she had felt the spell working. It was a little unnerving—being unable to hear her own footsteps. At the time, she’d even failed to see her hands in front of her face anymore. At least it worked. She had just popped back into existence as she charged into the room, skirting around the door to hide between it and the wall. Her hands clasped over her mouth to muffle her panting breaths as she waited.

He seemed to take the bait, and she felt her entire body relax as his footsteps faded up the passage toward the room Mytho was in. Ahiru realized she couldn’t feel his heartbeat at all anymore. She frowned.

Saddened by this turn of events, Ahiru quietly drew her knees toward her chest, burying her head in her arms on top of her legs. She sort of felt like crying, but she was too tired. She would have to wait for Fakir to leave so she could get to Mytho, and then—and then…a—and… then…

She felt something tickle her finger.

Slowly, she lifted her chin up to look, and was face-to-face with a giant fuzzy spider bigger than her thumb nail.

“QUACK!” she shrieked, desperately backing away against the wall and slapping at the spider with her sleeves pulled up over her hands. It rocked back and forth like a pendulum for a moment before it quickly retracted its string to retreat to the ceiling away from the silly girl.

Ahiru would have been relieved if she could see this. However, she suddenly felt herself growing small, darkness closing in around her. It happened so fast that it didn’t really sink in until she was buried in some sort of fabric, and she yelped as she tried to wrestle her way out from under them.

When free, she looked around for what had fallen on her, confused. She turned to see what seemed to be a giant version of her school uniform. _What the…?_ Looking up, she saw that the room she was in had suddenly grown around ten times its actual size.

That, or she shrunk.

There was a beat before she reacted to that thought, where she panicked and flitted around a bit, before rushing over to an old silver bucket tucked away in a corner. She wiped away the dust with a wing to see her reflection. Wait.

Wing?

Ahiru looked at herself in the metal. She was… a bird? The memory of that morning’s dream suddenly came back to her. She was just… Just an ugly little duckling! She had somehow turned into a duck! Any attempts to scream or speak only resulted in a string of distressed quacks coming from her own mouth. She had figured the part of the dream where Drosselmeyer gave her powers was _sort_ of real, _mostly_ , but not the part where she had _turned into a duck!_

Terrified and panicking, Ahiru gathered up her clothes and tied them to herself before climbing up to the window. Swallowing her fear of heights, she carefully began to scale the wall of the castle using ledges and sills that wouldn’t have held her weight if she were her normal self. Although she tried desperately to be careful so she wouldn’t fall, she was also rushed in her distress, and despite her fear, made it down within a few minutes. It got dicey at the last jump—she had to slow a rather long fall by resorting to desperately flapping her wings. Looked like she couldn’t exactly fly with these new wings, but more of a glide seemed to work out fine. Sort of.

Oh god.

Flying.

Her _wings._ She had _wings!_ And a bill and tail! And little webbed feet!

How was she supposed to prove she’d be in bed before lights out if she couldn’t even say anything besides quack? And more importantly, how was she supposed to save the prince? On the cusp of tears, Ahiru ran as fast as her little duck legs could carry her back to the west wing of the castle. She didn’t know where else to go but home, using her small size to her advantage as she snuck past students and guards to make it indoors.

Dodging past students and castle staff, she noticed her height barely came up to their ankles. Not like it was the first thing to make her feel small that day.

Finally, she waddled into the building, vaguely surprised when nobody noticed her. And... for some reason, a little offended.

That was when her tears began to fall.


End file.
